Joint practices tend to breed animosity. Just ask the New York Giants.
The G-Men found themselves in a few scraps during their Monday session with the Detroit Lions, a day that grew to become so chippy even quarterback Daniel Jones got involved in the fracas.
Jones was eventually pulled from the scrum by a coach, , but not before he was able to get involved enough to earn some respect from his teammates.
"Oh lord … Daniel got jiggy with it?" Giants edge rusher Brian Burns said after Monday's practice, . "Daniel was out there with it? Yeah! I'm [going to] need him to back up. I'm [going to] need him to back up, let his O-line handle that. But yeah, nah Daniel, he's a competitor man, he's a fighter. I don't expect nothing less from him, but I don't need him in that, I don't need him to get hit, keep him healthy."
Burns is correct in his assessment. No NFL team needs its quarterback getting banged up by unnecessarily involving themselves in extracurricular activities during camp, especially not Jones, whose injury history has proven to be a constant hindrance to his development. But it's also a refreshing look at the otherwise mild-mannered Duke product, who needs to play with a bit of an attitude before his time in New York potentially runs out.
Jones was asked about the incident afterward and downplayed his involvement.
"I mean, situation happens like that, you try to stand up for your guys but I thought it was a good competitive practice all day today," Jones said, . "We made some plays and did some good things, there's some things we need to [shore] up for sure. But good intensity and competitive spirit there."
Some coaches despise in-practice fights, because it robs them of quality time intended to improve. But with hot weather and the natural competitive environment of joint practices, so too come some occasional spats.
The Giants need this type of fire entering 2024, especially after they fell flat in a disappointing 2023 that even led to some rumblings about the team's future under center. There's no time left to waste for Jones or head coach Brian Daboll, who must prove 2023 was an aberration, not a sign of things to come.
"I think that's the goal every day you come out to practice, whether you're practicing against another team or yourself is to feel better and more confident at the end of the day," Jones said on Monday. "I think we did that, I think we made some plays, executed well throughout the day. Like I said, there's some things we want back and things we could do better for sure but overall I thought we played tough, played physical, and executed well."
Execution is the goal. Jones can provide moral support from outside the fight the next time one (inevitably) breaks out.
